The present invention relates to a guide wire installation device for a catheter in installing the catheter onto a guide wire in a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedure.
A catheter, such as balloon catheter, has been widely used for vascularization of a coronary artery or delivering and placing a stent in the coronary artery or other portions. In this case, a catheter is delivered into the artery through a guide wire already placed in the artery to enlarge a stenosis, i.e. constriction in the coronary artery, or deliver and place the stent.
In particular, in delivering the catheter into the blood vessel, at first, a through hole for the guide wire in the catheter must be filled with saline to prevent air from entering into the blood vessel, and then, the guide wire is inserted into the through hole of the catheter. Thereafter, the catheter is inserted into the blood vessel through the guide wire.
In this respect, generally, the guide wire has the diameter of only 0.014 inches, and the catheter tip has an opening of a through hole of 0.015 inches. Therefore, it is difficult to enter a needle of a syringe into the opening of the catheter to provide saline into the catheter, and then, to enter the guide wire into the opening of the catheter.
Especially, it is desirable to quickly prepare the catheter for treatment to shorten the operation time. Also, a catheter used for one procedure may be exchanged with another catheter, and in this case, the catheter must be prepared as quickly as possible. However, there is no special device to help using the catheter in receiving saline and installing the guide wire.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a guide wire installation device for a catheter for help inserting the guide wire into a through hole of the catheter.
Another object of the invention is to provide a guide wire installation device as stated above, which can also be used in providing saline into the through hole of the catheter.
A further object of the invention is to provide a guide wire installation device as stated above, which can also be used in holding a catheter in a small size, as a clip.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
In accordance with the invention, a guide wire installation device for a catheter is formed a pair of elongated main sections arranged to face each other. Each main section includes a gripping portion at one side, and a holding portion at the other side thereof arranged to slightly incline relative to the gripping portion. The holding portion has first and second grooves communicating with each other and extending in a direction to cross with a longitudinal direction of the main section. The first groove has a size greater than that of the second groove.
The guide wire installation device also includes a connecting portion located between the holding portion and the gripping portion for connecting the elongated main sections together, and means for holding the holding portions to abut against each other. When the holding portions abut against each other, a hollow or introducing portion is formed by the first grooves, and a receiving hole communicating with the hollow portion is formed by the second grooves.
In the invention, the holding portions are generally closed by the means for holding the holding portions to form the hollow portion and the receiving hole. When necessary, the gripping portions are pressed to each other, so that the holding portions open around the connecting portion.
The guide wire installation device of the invention is used to help filling saline into a through hole of a catheter and installing the guide wire into the through hole filled with saline.
In filling saline into the through hole of the catheter, an end of the catheter is held in the receiving hole, i.e. between the second grooves. In this case, the end of the catheter may be inserted into the receiving hole, or the gripping portions may be pushed to open the holding portions, and after placing the end of the catheter into the second groove, the holding portions may be closed. Thereafter, a needle attached to a syringe with saline therein is inserted into the through hole of the catheter through the hollow portion formed by the first grooves greater in diameter than the through hole of the catheter. Then, saline is injected into the through hole of the catheter by the syringe. Since the needle can be easily inserted into the through hole of the catheter, saline can be easily supplied to the through hole of the catheter.
When a guide wire is inserted into the through hole of the catheter, the needle for the syringe is removed after filling saline into the through hole, and then, the guide wire is inserted into the through hole through the hollow portion. Since the size of the hollow portion is greater than that of the through hole, the guide wire can be easily inserted into the through hole of the catheter. After the guide wire is inserted into the catheter, the gripping portions are pushed toward each other to open the holding portions. Accordingly, the guide wire installation device can be easily removed laterally from the guide wire or catheter. Thereafter, the catheter is inserted into the blood vessel along the guide wire.
Preferably, the first groove has a tapering surface extending to the second groove to form a conical shape when the holding portions abut against each other. In this structure, the first grooves form a funnel shape, so that once the needle or guide wire is inserted into the hollow portion, the needle or guide wire can be lead to the through hole of the catheter held in the receiving hole.
Preferably, the second groove has step portions with different sizes to form different diameter portions when the holding portions abut against each other. The diameters of the different diameter portions gradually increase in a direction away from the first groove. Thus, the guide wire installation device can be used for different catheters with different tip sizes.
The means for holding the holding portions may be an elongated member located between the gripping portions. The elongated member may provide pressure outwardly to the gripping portions to urge and close the holding portions, or simply support the gripping portions to close the holding portions. The main sections, elongated curved member and connecting portion may be integrally formed together by resin.
The main section may further include a third groove between the holding portion and the connecting portion to form a clip for a catheter when the holding portions abut against each other. In this case, the elongated catheter can be bent to have loops, which are held between the third grooves.